Montreal’s Hottest Tickets: Coldplay

October 15 came and Coldplay tickets at the Bell Centre for August 8 and 9 disappeared in… what???… about five minutes.

I’m not even a huge Coldplay fan. I like a few songs. Okay, I love those few songs. Reallym really love those songs. I’d shell out $40 to see Coldplay play the songs I like. Maybe even $60 if I was feeling flush. But I don’t love them to the tune of $925 Top 15 Party Package or a $625 Top 25 Tour Package. Are seats seriously selling at the price of $925 a pop??? A thousand bucks on Coldplay!

I figure, well, there’s always Kijiji and Craigslist. Aren’t you curious how much people are selling Coldplay tickets for? 53 people have ads on Kijiji. Sadly, Craigslist has but one. I can’t promise you they’re not all from the same person. Here is the going rate for some Coldplay tickets.

Red section. $750 a pair.
Section 209. $500 a pair.
Section 418. $250 for one ticket.
Section 120. $998 a pair.
Section 110. $800 for a pair.
Section 334. $500 for a pair.
Section 223. $700 for a pair.
Section 201. $1350 for a pair. No that isn’t a typo.
Section 202. $500 for a pair.

Bell Centre seats from stub hub Coldplay.

I went to stubhub after that, just to see what their state of prices were. Stubhub can come through. Sorta. Their cheapest seats were $129 USD per ticket. Pretty comparable to the listings on kijiji. $500 a pair. More, actually.

I decided to do a little comparison. Let’s say you skipped Coldplay. What other musical adventures could you have for $625, the cost of the cheaper of the two VIP Packages?

Tegan and Sara are at the Metropolis on October 29. $45.45 including fees. It’s general admission, so you can show up late or early, depending on how important it is for you to stand next to the stage.

Total cost: $45.45

Get out and support those Russians who rock. Pussy Riot is at Place des Arts (with George Stroumboulopoulos animating!) on November 9. It’s an interview, but my fingers are crossed they’ll throw a year or a cross around. $51.25 before tax for the best seats in the house. Tickets HERE.

Total cost: $96.70

For some reason or other, I can imagine Coldplay fans also getting into soft punk with bands like Simple Plan. They’re at the Bell Centre on November 23. Floor tickets and the red zone are $74.25. HERE.

Total cost: $170.95

I think Coldplay fans are also the sort to go into MSTRKRFT (Live) type events. These electo-dynamos are at the Fairmount on December 2. Show is a mercifully cheap $20. Get tickets HERE.

Total Cost: $190.95

Sam Roberts, local boy made better than good and pretty rocking at that, is playing the Corona for two days in December (the 16 and the 17). You can check his jeans out for a very kind $44 HERE.

Total Cost: $234.95

Wintersleep, indie darlings who seem to be perpetually on tour are at the Fairmount on December 17. Checkout Cheapthrills to get these for $21.25, but you’ll love the alt.

Total Cost: $256.20

Wax Tailor is all the goodness of the european electronic scene, but in town at Metropolis on January 21. $32 says you see him HERE.

Total Cost: $288.20

Game of Thrones is coming and it won’t even be winter when it does. This orchestral version of music from the show is at the Bell Centre on March 3. Tickets HERE max out at $149.75 for the floor.

Total Cost: $437.95

Green Day is another one of those bands that came to live some time ago and seem to keep on going — is hitting the Bell Centre on March 22. $94.50 for your best ticket. HERE.

Total Cost: $532.45

Shawn Mendes plays the week after Coldplay. You know how much it costs to see him? The red zone is selling at $105 in the Bell Centre. You get a free album too. If you want to see him on August 14, click HERE.

Total cost: $637.45

In sum, for $12 more than your Coldplay VIP pack, you can see ten shows in the next year performed by major artists. I dunno. I think I can skip the Coldplay. Besides, I can save it all up for Rogers Waters’ Us and Them which goes on sale on October 22 at 10 a.m. I starred, underlined, and alarmed that in my calendar, by the way. Link HERE.